DEAR ABBY: While driving near a school in the late afternoon, I noticed in my rearview mirror a mother talking on her cell phone while her daughter sat stone-faced beside her. This went on for well over two miles and several red lights.
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I remember so fondly talking to my boys after school, learning about their day on the drive home. That mom could have been conversing with her daughter, or listening to what her daughter had to say, if she hadn't been on the phone.
I would encourage parents to take a simple step: Make drive time with their kids to and from school a "no phone zone" (for the kids, too). This precious alone time with our children should be used wisely. -- PROUD DAD WITH THREE FANTASTIC SONS
DEAR PROUD DAD: That's terrific advice. You are not the only reader who has written me about seeing parents with small children in tow whose attention is glued to a cell phone rather than on the kids. Although these adults are physically present, their attention is miles away.
Interestingly, I have seen this kind of behavior repeated among young people out on dates -- attractive couples seated in restaurants, both talking on their cell phones rather than to each other. Now, I realize they "could" have been talking to each other -- but wouldn't it have been more logical to direct their comments across the table?